Refillable Cups at Universal Orlando Resort: Complete Guide

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The only thing I always buy on every visit to Universal Orlando is a refillable cup. These cups are available in three formats, so it’s important you know the difference:

1. Universal Orlando Resort refillable cups
2. Universal Orlando Freestyle cups
3. Universal Studios souvenir tumbler

Universal Orlando Resort Refillable Cups

You can buy a Universal Orlando Resort refillable cup if you’re staying in a Universal Orlando hotel. These cups currently cost:

• $9.99 for one day
• $15.99 for three days
• $18.49 for the length of your stay

You can only use Universal Orlando Resort cups for drinks at the Universal Orlando hotels. These cups can not be used at the drinks machines in the Universal Orlando theme parks.

These cups can be good value for money for those staying in a Universal Orlando hotel. However, the drink fountains are only in the hotel lobby and hold only 24oz. So, you may often find yourself going from your room to the lobby to refill your cup during your trip.

Universal Orlando Freestyle Cups

This is the refillable cup I always buy when visiting Universal Orlando, and can be refilled at:

• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal Islands of Adventure
• Epic Universe
• Volcano Bay

You can not buy or use a Universal Orlando Freestyle cup at a Universal Orlando Resort hotel.

A Universal Orlando Freestyle cup currently costs $18.99 plus tax. However, discounts are available on multiple cups.

Pro Tip: You’re not supposed to share Universal Orlando Freestyle cups. However, I always just buy one for the family and share it, and we’ve never had a problem doing this.

The $18.99 gets you the Universal Orlando Freestyle cup and unlimited drinks for the day. *Unlimited being one drink every ten minutes.

You can then reactivate your cup the next day or years later, on a future visit, for $10.99 plus tax.

To give you an idea of how much you can save with a Coca-Cola Freestyle refillable cup. I bought one on a recent Universal Orlando vacation and reactivated it for three extra days. The total cost was $51.96.

During those four days, I refilled the cup an average of seven times per day (28 times in total). If I’d bought 28 sodas at Universal Orlando, I’d have spent $120.12 ($4.29 per soda).

Pro Tip: Universal Orlando annual passholders can use their discount on refillable cups.

Universal Studios Souvenir Cups

Finally, there are souvenir cups – which, to make things even more complicated, are available in two formats:

1. Tumbler souvenir cups
2. Character souvenir cup

Tumbler souvenir cups are structurally similar to resort and Freestyle refillable cups. Except they are made from thicker plastic and designed to last longer. They also have a range of better designs (at least in my opinion).

These tumbler souvenir cups cost $28.99 plus tax and can be used for unlimited Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks throughout the day. *Unlimited being one drink every ten minutes.

Once again, you can also reactivate these cups for $10.99 per day on a future visit, whether that visit is the next day or in years.

Character souvenir cups are 3D cups designed to look like popular Universal characters. Some of the characters featured include:

• Minions
• Bart Simpson
• Jurassic Park Dinosaurs

Character souvenir cups start from $18 plus tax. However, these cups only include one free drink. After this, you must pay to refill your character souvenir cup at the full menu price.

Character souvenir cups make fantastic Universal souvenirs. But they aren’t great if you’re buying one to save money on food and drink at Universal Orlando.

How Do Universal Orlando Refillable Cups Work?

Refillable cups at Universal Orlando use an RFID chip inside the cup.

When you buy or reactivate a refillable cup, the cashier will place the cup on the RFID reader at the checkout. This RFID reader will activate the RFID chip inside your Universal refillable cup.

When you get a drink from a food vendor or a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, your cup will be placed on an RFID reader. Once the chip is verified, you can select/order your drink.

Pro Tip: Keep the receipt for your refillable cup or reactivation for the whole day. That way if you have any trouble with the RFID chip you have proof of purchase.

Using Refillable Cups for Butterbeer & Other Themed Drinks

Sadly, you can not use a Universal Orlando refillable cup for Butterbeer or other ‘themed drinks’. Instead, these drinks come in their own specially designed plastic cups.

It’s also worth noting that there are no Coca-Cola Freestyle locations inside themed lands such as:

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Super Nintendo World

As such, I highly recommend refilling your cup before entering these areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions readers ask me most often about the Coca-Cola Freestyle refillable cup and hotel refillable mug programs at Universal Orlando.